In Surguja, Chhattisgarh, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) made a significant arrest on Friday. Udaipur SDM BR Khande, along with three other employees from his office, were apprehended while accepting a bribe. The accused individuals had demanded a sum of Rs 50,000 from the applicant in exchange for a favorable verdict in an ongoing case at the SDM court. The case in question pertains to a land dispute involving Kanhai Ram Banjara, a resident of Jagga village. Kanhai Ram and his family members hold ownership of three land areas in Jagga, measuring 0.251, 0.635, and 0.243 hectares.
Initially, Kanhai Ram’s elder father had filed an application in the tehsil to have the land registered solely in his name. Subsequently, the Tehsildar of Udaipur issued an order on September 21, 2022, to rectify the revenue record in favor of Kanhai Ram’s elder father and others involved in the case. Dissatisfied with this decision, Kanhai Ram’s elder father appealed to the SDM court. Allegedly, it was during this ongoing case that SDM BR Khande demanded a bribe of Rs 50,000 from Kanhai Ram, promising a favorable outcome. Prompted by Kanhai Ram’s complaint, the ACB launched an investigation, which ultimately confirmed the allegations, leading to a planned operation on Friday.
Under the leadership of DSP Pramod Kumar Khes from the Ambikapur ACB, a team was dispatched to Udaipur. At around 6 pm on Friday evening, Kanhai Ram Banjara arrived at the SDM office with notes coated with a special chemical. It is alleged that the SDM instructed his clerk, Dharampal, to accept the bribe.
Dharampal then passed the money to peon Abir Ram, who subsequently handed it over to Sainik Kavinath Singh, following the SDM’s instructions. Seizing the opportunity, the ACB team conducted a raid, catching all the accused, including SDM BR Khande, red-handed while accepting the bribe. In addition to the bribery charge, it is alleged that SDM Bhagirathi Khande attempted to unlawfully acquire Kanhai Ram’s land and that he obtained a power of attorney for the sale of a 50-decimal land in Jagga, registered in the names of two known women, potentially facilitating its future transfer into his own name.
